South Africa's growing extreme weather challenges

The Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS) programme at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in collaboration with the South African Weather Services (SAWS), will host the 37th Annual Conference of the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The conference is scheduled to take place from Monday, 30 October to Friday, 3 November 2023, and will include workshops facilitated by the Extreme Climate Events Research Alliance (ECERA) and the Research Alliance for Climate and Health.

This conference will be attended by the country’s leading climate experts who will share their research findings and provide updates on the scientific implications of climate variability, climate change and extreme weather events in the country. The primary objective of the meeting is to explore the integration of research outcomes into climate services, aiding in  the management of climate variability and adaptation to climate change and extreme climate events.

On Wednesday, 1 November 2023, the ECERA will host various panel discussions, including the following:

• A follow-up and update session from the El Niño 2023 held at the University of Pretoria (UP) in June2023. This panel, which is convened by Dr Neville Sweijd (CSIR/ACCESS), will be chaired by Dr Dawn Mahlobo (SAWS) and include participation from Professor Willem Landman (UP), Dr Johan Malherbe (Agricultural Research Council) and Dr Christien Engelbrecht (SAWS).
• Discussion of the previous Western Cape winter season and the extreme weather experienced in the region. The panel will be chaired by Dr Dawn Mahlobo and will include Professor Thando Ndarana (UP), Stefaan Conradie (University of Cape Town (UCT), Professor Kevin Winter (UCT), Dr Christien Engelbrecht (SAWS), Lebogang Makgati (SAWS) and Colin Deiner (Western Cape government).

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 1 November 2023
Time: 08:00 -15:00
Venue: UWC, Life Sciences building

RSVP: Media Relations Practitioner, Phetolo Phatsibi: pphatsibi@csir.co.za 

For media nquiries, contact:

David Mandaha, CSIR Media Relations Manager
Tel: 012 841 3654
Mobile: 072 126 8910
Email: dmandaha@csir.co.za   

About the CSIR:

The CSIR, an entity of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, is one of the leading scientific and technology research, development and implementation organisations in Africa. Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, as well as industrial and scientific development to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. For more information, visit www.csir.co.za

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